Potato-digging machine.



1. A. BROWN. y POTATG DIGGING MACHINE. APPLICATION mm ma x4, 1918. wg,

Patented Mar. 19H3.

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J. A. BROWN. Poma mGcnvG MACHINE.

. l APPLICATION FILED MAR. I4, 1918- Patented Mar. 25,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.`y

' jaws/222,2: f/Zm Arom J. A. BROWN. POT/U0 DIGGING MACH! APPLICATION man mm1. 14.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

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chines,ofwhioh the following is a specifica- @TATES ?aiilhllf f JOHN A, BROWN, 0F CAMAS, WASHIIIGEBIN, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-HLF T0 HUGH". BROWN, OF PORTLAND, OREGON i POTATO-DGGING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 55,

Application led March 14, 1918. Serial No. 222.499.

To all whomy t may concern:

Be it known that L JOHN A. BnowN, a citizen oi'- the United States, and a resident of Camas, Clarke county, State of Washington, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Potato-Digginglrla tion.

`My invention has for its object the pro- Viding of `a potato digging machine which comprises a disk adapted to rotate in the ground during the forward travel of the machine, and ope 'ating'. to dig up the `pot-ato hills, an elevator on which the potato vines, roots, andadhering clods of dirtv are thrown by the disk, and a plow cooperating' with the disk for clearing a path along," which the elevator may move in the travel of the machine.

I attain my object hy my machine illustrated in .theaccompanying' drawings; and

in addition to the features' mentionethiny machine includes means for' adjusting` the disk with respect to the ground line, so as to regulate the depth of out, and for adjusting the same at a variable angle with respect to the line of motionofthe machine; and

also means for driving the elevator by power, so that the same may he kept going while the machine is standing. still, as is ldesirable in order to break up and dispose of the ol'ods of earth thrown upon the elcvator.

The construction and operation of my machine is hereinafter described, having reference to said drawings, in which:

Figure 1 1s a side elevation of my machine;

. Fig. 2 is a 'plan or 'top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a rear-end elevation; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the front i, end ofthe vehicle body, notlooking hack gf line 4 4 of Fig. 1;. is al detail ofthe pivoted diskca-rrying arms; l

Fig'. 6 is a seeti'onon4v the line 6-6 of Fig. 7 is anxenlarged fragzjntiental section of `the plowcarried by the' bottom end .of the elevator" of f my vmachimigthe, details lshown in thisigure agreeing in position "with the corresponding parts in Fig. 1;

8 .is aragmenmluei line 8*;8 of Fig. 1g

tion lon the' rig. en@ saggiare@ une 9-9' of ing. s;

4illustrates how the wheels (C 'allow cit-her front `wheel to ada at itself to inequalities in the road surface; and

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating the con uw' of a section of land planted to potatoes, wl over 'which my machine is running, and y) straddle the potato hills, and how the disk, carried oy my machine. dins 'up the hill, also shows the location of the plow carried by the elevator of my machine and cooperating; with the disk for cuttinga path in whichthe bottom end of the elevator travels. f

a is a vehicle body mounted on hind wheels Z and front wheels 0. The from: wheel suppont comprises a neck made of two mem bers d, a7, as shown in Figs. 1 andv 2. To the free cnds'of 'the latter frame members arerigidly fastened pendent iframe members c, c', which bear in the sockets f of the vehicle hotly frame memhers ff, seeFigs. 1, e and 10. The lower ends of the 'frame members f" are connected by a curved bar g pivoting at g, and having its ends pivotally connected with the lugs f2 of the -trarne members f. The frame members 71,., It serve as braces for connecting the frame members d, d', with a knuckle i, (shown oni),7 in Fig. 2) through which entends a rigid shaft j, the ends of which fastened to the lower ends of frame members 6, e. The disk supporting arms 7C are pivotally mounted on the shaft j. The Jiront wheels are adapted to accommodate themselves to the inequalities of the road surface by the honY f of the 'trame members f' sliding over the pendent frame members e, e. The frontwheels c are 'journalod on stub axles n rigidly fasteued to the piece 02 which is pivotally connected by knuckles n with the knuckles n2 of the 'vehicle frame -members "f', and said axles are steered by having; the steering; arms o 'pivotally connected by a bar go withthe tongue Q. Therefore whichever way the latter is guided the front wheels will follow, The steering arms o are 'rigidly yfastened to the pins o carried by the piece 02. The end of the tongue g lis pivotally fastened 'to the hars g the ends of which are mountedon bar j. The disk fm is rotatably supported on the free end of its carrying arms lo by means permitting the rotation of the disk about an axis m so llo as to adjust the disk at variable angles relie tively to the line motion of my machine. lf iind it convenient to make the free end 7c ci? the arm It with a knuckle having a ser- 'rated Aupper fece 'on which is mounted a plate mi* having a corresponding face by- .ineane oi a bolt-and-nut `element m3. The plate m has a stub shaft r provided with a :flange t, the Stub ehaft being `inserted through a hole at the center of the disk m, while its llange bears against the inner.` face of the disk. The flange 8 has a face adapted to bear against the knuckle ic of the disk carrying arm (le. The disk m ie provided with a rigid hub m4 which bears on-the Stub-shalt r. A cap t encompasses the hub m4. The parts are united by a. screw lbolt u, and a friction hearing` element U is interposed between the bearing faces, so that the disk m may have free rotation.

The disk m is dished and its function is to dig out the potatoes and throw them to-v gether with vines, roots and adhering clods of dirt on an eleva-tor wp lin the operation of my machine, the wheels 'would run in the valleys e/ see Figfll between the hills and the disk of my machine will dig up the hills 'as represented by the line e'. The elevator w is provided with a plow cIllocatrnl and adapted to cloperatewith the diskm, that is to say, eut

ting a furrow 3, as diagrammatically illus trated in F il, adjacent the path out by the disk, in order to provide a path for the bottom end of the elevator to move in. y

A transverse rock shaft lis supported by brackets 5 on the vehicle frame; The rock shaft is provided 'with a rigid arm 6 connccted with a4 rod 7, the opposite end of which connecte with. an larm 8 on the rock shaft 9, on which is arigid lever 1() having a pawl bearingl on a ratchet segment 1l, so that the lever l() may be secured in any position to which it is adi ted. The rock shaft also is provided with a rigid arm the free end of which is connected with the diskcarrying arm it', as shown in Figs. l, 5 and 1 6. The connection of the arm l2 with the diskvcarrying arm 1 is arranged as Shown in Fig. 6,

The side members e of the arm 1 support a plate ,t8 toUwhich are rigidly fastened the slotted bearings 7a4 in,` which slides 'afshoe l2 with 'which the arm. 12 is pivotally connected. Thus by the operation of the lever ld the dislocarrying arm e may be raised and lowered" so as to relatively adjust the disk m to they ground lino and also rigidly hold the same in poeition as adjusted.

lin unison with the raising and loweringA of the disk fm, the elevator is also rela tively raf` l and lowered in order that the bottom ei lof the elevatork mayfbe positioned in correspondence with the depth of out made by the disk The means for a path for the bottom end of the Over the guide pulley runs a chain 1l, the

upper end of which is connected to a rod l5 connected to an arm 16 rigid on the rock shaft 9, and the lower end of the chain 1l is fastened to one side of the-bottom of the elevator w. In order to lift both sides of the elevator, I provide as auxiliary lifting means for the latter a short chain 17 running over a flanged guide pulley 1S, mounted on the frame the lower end of such chain being attached to the other side of the elevator andthe upper end of said chain being also fastened to the arm 1 6.

I prefer to have the elevator of my, machine run by a motor 19 so that the elevator may 'be kept running independently of the travel of my machine, which is desirable to` break up the clods of dirt thrown on'the elevator, and the same arrangement relieves the power required for pulling my machine over the field.

The elevator w ymay be of any convenient construction l its upper end 'by the rodsQO, which are held by the supports 26'; The elevator is driven by abelt 21 on which bears a' belt tightener22. t l

The details of construction shownlbut not described may be arranged as convenient.

The operationof my machine is selfevident from the preceding description ofthe 'construction thereof.

I claim: y

l.. A. digging machine comprising a vehicle body, a rotatably' mounted dished disk carried by the vehicle body, an elevator, and

a plow arranged to out a furrow adjacent .the path cut by the disk thereby to provide ried by the vehicle body, such disk being.

relativelyV adjustable with respect tothe ground line and also with respect to the line of motion of the machine, an. elevator and a plow arranged to clit a furrow adjacent the vpath eut by the disk thereby to prrwidc elevator to move in.

3. A digging machine comprising a vehicle body, a rotatably mounted dished disk carried by the vehicle body, such disk being adjustable with respect to the ground line and also with respect to the line of' motion ci' the machine, an elevator,a plow arranged to outa lfurrow adjacent the path out by thevdiek thereby toprovide a path for the bottom end of the elevator to inovein, and means for holding and adjustingfthe disk re tively tov the ground line; f

l. A digging machine comprising a vvehicle Landis@ l i @Il body, a rotatably mounted dished disk carried by the'vehicle body, such disk being adjustable with respect to the ground line and also with respect to the line of motion ot the machine, an elevator, a plow arranged to cut a furrow,adjacent the path eut by the disk thereby to provide a path t'or the bottom end ot' the elevator to move in, means l'or holdingr and adjusting thewlisk relatively to the ground line, and means for raising: and lowering the elevator in unison with said adjustment ot' the disk.

ii. A digging' machinecomprisingawhiele body, a rotatably mounted dished disk carried b v ille vehicle body, sueh disk being adjustable with respect to the ground line and also 'with respect to the line ot motion ot' the machine, an elevator, a plow carried' by the elevator arranged to ent a furrow adjacent the path cut by the disk thereby to provide a path for the bottom end of the elevator to move. in, means jfor holding' and adjusting the disk relativeljiY to the ground line. and means ior raisingy and lowering the elevator in unison willi said adjustment ot' the disk.

o. diggin;r machine eomprising a vehicle v body, a rotatably mounted dished disk -car ried by the vehicle body, such disk being adjustable with respect to the ground line y and also with respect to the line of motion, l ot the machine, an elevator, motor driving* means for driving the latter, a plow carried by the elevator arranged to out a furrowv` adjacentA thepath cut by the disk thereby' to provide a path for the bottomv end of the elevator to move in, vmeans for holding andv adjustlng the disk relatively to the ground; line, and means for raislng and loweringthe elevator in unison with saidadjustmemfl of the' disk.

T, A digging; machine eomprisinga vehicle;

body, a rotatably mounted dished disk crried by the vehicle body, such diskbeing adjustable with respect to the ground line' i i and also with respect to the line of motion; ot' the maelnne, an elevator, a plow arrangedto eut. a furrow adjacent the'patli cnt'by, the disk thereby to provide a path for the.. bottom end of the elevator to move in, and means tor raising and lowering the elevator in unison with said adjustment of the disk.

-JoHN A. snows.' j. 

